Newsletter #1 – February 2024

Welcome to our first newsletter! Please let us know if you find it useful. If you’ve got ideas for future issues, send them to us at w74thcoolblock@gmail.com. Also, feel free to forward this info to anyone you think might find it helpful. Anyone can subscribe to our newsletter, regardless of where they live!

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FIRST, WHAT TO DO IF YOU EXPERIENCE A BREAK-IN?

Stay Safe!

Don’t engage with burglars.

Call 9-1-1 as soon as possible

Gather video and get it to the office in charge as soon as you can. (Don’t forget neighbors behind your backyard.)

And let me—your Senior Lead Officer for Westport Heights—know what happened too.

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Lately it seems that every time we open up NextDoor, or speak with a neighbor, there’s another story about a break-in. Having your home invaded is a terrible experience of loss, both material and psychological. Here is some info to help us all do the best we can to prevent future crime.

Scroll down for:

• DATA: A recent snapshot of crime events in the area 
• NEW TECH: In-depth information about 3M security film for glass
• OTHER EXPERT TIPS: from Stephen Marvin, a home security system expert, and our LAPD Senior Lead Officer Luis Pinell

Hope this is useful, and let us know if you have ideas for future newsletters!

And don’t forget to ask for video from neighbors on either side and the neighbor right behind you, in case the perpetrators came in or went out over a back fence. 

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#1: DATA

If you feel like crime is ticking up near W 74th St, sadly you’re right. Here’s a series of maps to illustrate incident locations and types of crimes in our immediate area, Westport Heights over the last six months (Aug-Dec 2023).

FYI: anyone can access CrimeMapping.com. LAPD uploads incident info into this website, so it’s considered by them to be reliable data. 

August, 2023

In August, 2023, there were 4 incidents of home burglary, highlighted in the red boxes. August is a classic vacation month, where residents can be assumed to be away. In a recent LAPD public safety meeting, they believe criminals are working in teams.

September 2023

In September 2023 there was 1 incident of home burglary. (See red box.)

October 2023

In October 2023, property crime exploded. There were a total of 7 home burglaries and 3 car thefts. 

November 2023

Things were quieter in November, with 2 home burglaries. Unfortunately they were both on W 74th Street. (Definitely not cool for our block.)

December 2023

In December 2023, W 74th experienced 2 more home burglaries. (Actually, there were 3, but for some reason a known burglary near the intersection of Piper and W 74th is not on this map.)  Plus a car theft on W 77th. In total, between August and December of 2023, our immediate area logged:

15 Home Burglaries

4 Car Thefts

Plus a few stolen case incidents (marked by the “$”).

What can you do to make your home safer?

#2: TECHNOLOGY (Glass Safety Film)

Burglars are sometimes getting in by smashing windows or sliding doors, often from the backyard. Glass doors and windows are a major point of vulnerability for many homes. The good news? There’s a whole class of security window films available from 3M to help buy time when someone’s trying to break in through a glass entry point. And there’s a certified 3M installer close by.

PRODUCT

3M makes a range of window films that add millimeters of tough, clear film material to any type of window. It keeps the glass from shattering during an earthquake, or when being hammered by a criminal. And, depending on the features you want to add, it can also add privacy and reduce interior solar heat gain. 

IS IT WORTH IT?

Security film will not keep your door window from breaking. It’s installed to buy time and frustrate the criminal. It’s estimated to delay broken window entry by 30 to 45 seconds—depending on what tool or method the burglar is using to break the glass.

Take a look at the demo video below. You’ll see 3 glass samples being smashed by a baseball bat and hit with bullets (!!).

1. Unprotected glass.
2. 3M “Ultra” security film for residential use.
3. 3M commercial product (DefenseFilm) that’s almost impossible to break.

PS: DefenseFilm is typically not practical for most residential installations. Why? The film itself is very heavy and most residential-type window frames can’t handle the weight. (If it is installed in a residential setting, it’s usually a custom home build where the window frames are spec’d to take the weight.

PROPER INSTALLATION IS KEY

According to a security film expert from Prestige Window Solutions (our closest 3M-Certified installer) you need to consider these issues when thinking about defensive film installation: 

• 1 or 2 Sides? Installing film on one side of your glass gives you 8mils of film protection. Installing film on both sides gives you 16mils of protection, significantly better in terms of strengthening the glass and slowing burglars down. 
• Film must be sealed! You must also use 3M Impact Protective Adhesive to caulk around the edges of your glass pane.
• Why? Window film is applied with a very small gap between the film edge and the window frame, to allow for moisture to escape (important for clear, clean visibility.) Should someone (criminal) or something (earthquake) put stress on the glass, that small gap is where the glass will be most vulnerable. For maximum impact resistance, the 3M Impact Protective Adhesive seals and connect the glass and film to the window frame. 

FACTORS IN GLASS VULNERABILITY

1. Glass Age: If your 1950s Westport Heights home has original windows that have not been replaced, they’re likely going to be more fragile than more modern replacement windows. (Even if it’s just for earthquake safety, seriously consider installing new film on that old glass.)
2. Windows aren’t as “hardened” as doors. Safety glass is required by law only in exterior doors and tub/shower doors. Even if you’ve replaced old windows they’re most likely not going to be safety glass. They’re tempered, which does make them less fragile. But not strong enough to resist impact.
3. Glass thickness. This is one reason 3M and installers don’t like to quote a specific time delay for break-ins with security film. Ease of breakage is determined by both the film applied and the thickness of the original glass. 

GETTING A QUOTE FOR FILM INSTALLATION

• Call a vendor (if you call Prestige, ask for Manny in sales) and request an in-home quote appointment. 
• If the vendor is good, they’ll look carefully at your home and give you advice on windows and doors you really should secure with film, and those where it’s not as crucial. (This can become a budget issue.)
• You can opt for clear security film (no other features) or you can also add
  • Privacy tinting, so you to can see out, but no can see in.
  • Solar reflection, so sun rays bounce off the glass surface and keep your interiors a bit cooler.  
• Expect also to be given leave-behind samples.

WHY PRESTIGE WINDOW SOLUTIONS?

There are likely multiple vendors in the area who install this special 3M security film. But we’re highlighting Prestige as the closest 3M-Certified installer (per the 3M website).  As with most work done on your home, you can always opt to get multiple bids from different vendors. Just make sure they have the technical knowledge and skill to install 3M security film correctly. It’s wise to reject any vendor doesn’t proactively include Impact Protective Adhesive in their quote, as this caulking step is key to maximum glass security.

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#3: OTHER TIPS TO PROTECT AGAINST BREAK-INS

The Experts

SECURITY CAMERAS

Officer Luis Pinell

1. Installation height is important. Place cameras at face level (5 1/2 to 6 feet) so LAPD gets video with better identity detail. Cameras tucked way up in corners do not provide very useful video for law enforcement. 
2. Don’t forget video from your neighbor in the back. Burglars may have entered or exited through their yard and that video might be helpful. 

Stephen Marvin

1. High resolution color cameras are worth it. They give police identity detail that’s often missing from cheaper black and white or color “web cam” type cameras. 
2. Motion-detector white lights on color cameras are even better, providing excellent detail. Also the light itself can be a warning, signaling “This home is well protected.” 
3. Video storage on a local hard-drive is more reliable for image quality and access than keeping security video in the cloud.
4. Clear your hard-drive 1x a week. They do fill up. And you don’t want your hard-drive to be full at exactly the moment someone breaks in (Sterling Security has seen this happen!).
5. Clear cobwebs. Keep them off the camera. At night, they will obscure your image.

Stephen Marvin also agrees with Officer Pinell about camera placement. “However, the problem is a lower camera is easier for a criminal to disable. It helps to work with a security system prof to mitigate this issue—getting the camera in good location and making it hard to disable.”

ALARM SYSTEMS

Officer Luis Pinell

Make sure we all can hear it! Install an audible alarm that’s loud enough to alert neighbors and (potentially) scare burglars. (FYI, we researched this and the industry standard for an audible alarm sound is 80-100 decibels.)

LIGHTING, LANDSCAPING

Officer Luis Pinell

Light up dark corners. Install exterior lighting and make sure there are no significant dark areas in the yard where someone can hide. 

Stephen Marvin

Plant spikey plants near windows. This can help deter would-be burglars. FYI: there’s lots of info on the internet about ideal plants and placement, but here’s quick list of recommended species, according to TheGardenersPath.com 

DOORS & GATES

Officer Luis Pinell

Keep doors and gates closed and locked. Even if your home. This includes side yard gates.

Stephen Marvin

Deadbolt locks on doors make it much harder for criminals to kick the door in. Make sure you’re purchasing an ANSI Grade 1 deadlock lock set for maximum security. Locks are rated in 3 Grades, with Grade 1 being the toughest. The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) confirms a Grade 1 deadbolt.

• Holds up to at least 800,000 opens and closes
• Can handle six door strikes
• Passes a 360 lb weight test
• Can hold up to 10 hammer strikes.

(For context, Grade 2 deadbolt locks have a 50% lower strength rating.)

INTERIOR DEFENSE

Officer Luis Pinell

1. Dogs are the #1 best defense against break-in.
2. Block the view of your interior. When you’re not home, keep curtains or blinds drawn so no one can see inside. 
3. Program automatic lighting routines. Set them to go on and off throughout the house, as if you’re home. 
4. Don’t store valuables in your principal bedroom. It’s the first room burglars ransack looking for jewelry and other items they can easily resell. 

[Here’s an article with innovative ideas for storing valuables at home.]

CAR LICENSE CAPTURE?

Stephe Marvin

“Seems smart and logical, but possibly not the deterrent you’re looking for.” 

According to Marvin, there is a trend of neighbors going in together to purchase cameras on a given street to capture license plate numbers. But there are some issues to consider:

First, it’s an organizational issue. It’s an extra cost for everyone and you need good buy-in to share that cost. 

Second, criminals have figured this out. So they don’t usually use the same vehicle to case a community for target homes as they do to drive the break-in team. 

Third, the only way license plate data is useful to the police is if you’ve got video showing the perpetrator exiting or entering that exact vehicle.

“And that can be pretty hard to prove.”